"A Thousand Clouds of Peace"

"A Thousand Clouds of Peace" (2003) is a low budget Mexican oddity, filmed in grainy black-and-white, that has the look and feel of an "art film" stamped all over it. It is a largely nonverbal tale of a 17-year old named Gerardo who, having just been dumped by his boyfriend, now spends his days and nights wandering around the city in a desultory daze, trying to come to terms with his loneliness and despair.

"A Thousand Clouds of Peace" is definitely an acquired taste, but a person who opens himself up to the beauty of its images and the pervasiveness of its mood may find himself intrigued - if not exactly mesmerized - by the experience. The film consists mainly of Gerardo staring soulfully either into the distance or directly into the camera, but Juan Carlos Ortuno creates such a brooding presence that we actually find ourselves touched by the universality of his character's plight. By providing little in the way of drama, dialogue and character interaction, writer/director Julian Hernandez gives the film the simplified form of a parable, turning it into a study of heartbreak and unrequited love, but one stripped of all the usual distractions and clutter.

Dreamlike in its imagery and pacing, "A Thousand Clouds of Peace" will remind you of any number of European art films from the 1960's. Take that as either a recommendation or a warning, depending on your own personal taste.